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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · calf · stand · scale · sharp · leaves · tear · arm

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — to bear
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — size or range
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — clever

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