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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: safe · trunk · arm · cold · temple · patient · kick · bore

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bore — to drill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. kick — in football
  21. bore — to tire
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. patient — a sick person
  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