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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: patient · mate · mark · temple · snap · last · spring · can

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — a partner
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spring — a coil
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spring — of water
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mark — a grade
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. 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