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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: sharp · cap · wound · bear · land · court · patient · temple

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — to come down
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — of law
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — clever
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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