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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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Word bank
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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: mine · calf · wave · cell · cabinet · temple · drill · object

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. object — an aim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. object — to protest
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — a thing
  14. cell — in biology
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. calf — a young animal

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