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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: cap · patient · clip · arm · lean · trunk · temple · charge

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lean — thin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — in control
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cap — of ice
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. charge — a price
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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