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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. track — a path
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. track — a song
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mate — a partner
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — a safe
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. track — to keep track
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. clip — a video
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com