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

Word bank: temple · last · patient · mine · cue · can

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. cue — a hint
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. last — final
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cue — for pool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — to go on

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