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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: temple · wind · season · rule · kid · patient

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — a law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rule — government
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease

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