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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · kid · mate · patient · net · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mate — to breed
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. rush — hurry
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rush — a thrill

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