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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: patient · cell · temple · tube · present · lash · foot · net

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. foot — a measure
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — there
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. present — the time now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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