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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: pound · patient · arm · temple · content · chair · tear · wound

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. content — the amount
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — happy
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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