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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 120 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: bear · shower · deal · mine · temple · firm · patient · fork

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. shower — rain
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. firm — steady
  12. bear — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — decided
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. firm — a company
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mine — for digging
  20. shower — to wash
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fork — in a road

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