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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: cabinet · degree · mouse · drill · temple · patient · cell · hand

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cell — a phone
  9. hand — help
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — army training
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cell — in biology
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. temple — a place of worship

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