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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: wound · cold · patient · mate · mouse · temple · leaves · prune

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mate — to breed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a partner
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — not warm
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. patient — a sick person

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