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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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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 · branch · cell · mate · kid · saw · bound · temple

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mate — a partner
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — a phone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. bound — tied together
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bound — obliged
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — a division
  18. cell — in biology
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. saw — the tool

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