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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: stick · perch · face · staff · last · calf · bore · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — final
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. staff — employees
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — to go on
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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