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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: mate · temple · face · patient · capital · calf · snap · bark

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — money
  3. mate — to breed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — to point toward
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mate — a friend
  20. snap — to click
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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