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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: land · lean · temple · arm · tube · lash · patient · clip

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — to come down
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — a container
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tube — the underground
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. land — a country
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. land — ground

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