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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: calf · content · root · tear · arm · branch · temple · wound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. root — of a plant
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — a division
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. root — of a word
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — happy

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