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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 120 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: temple · last · ground · calf · rock · patient · lash · cold

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ground — a position
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ground — crushed
  7. last — finally
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cold — an illness
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — to go on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — music
  22. last — final
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. patient — a sick person

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