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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: mate · suit · can · temple · shower · patient · drill · cold

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. can — a tin
  9. drill — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mate — a friend
  12. suit — in cards
  13. can — to be able to
  14. drill — a practice
  15. suit — clothes
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. drill — army training
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — to breed

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