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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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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: patient · root · temple · arm · lie · drill · clip · mate

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — to recline
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — army training
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mate — to breed
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — a video
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. root — the cause

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