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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: bear · temple · patient · calf · wound · court · bound · race

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of law
  11. race — the arms race
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bear — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. race — a contest
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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