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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: lean · scale · calf · wound · temple · rest · racket · band

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a music group
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — thin
  19. band — a ring
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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