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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. clip — for paper
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. court — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bore — to tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. clip — to cut
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — of law
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. clip — a video
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — an aircraft

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