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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: temple · fall · lean · rock · cue · calf · straw · rest

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lean — thin
  4. rock — music
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — to bend
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rest — a break
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. fall — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rock — a stone
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — a signal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — what's left

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