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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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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: calf · wound · straw · temple · stand · cabinet · tear · ground

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ground — a position
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — the earth
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — crushed

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