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

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — to fit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spring — a coil
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spring — of water
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. chip — for betting
  24. suit — clothes

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