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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · vault · temple · patient · bark · suit · last · jam

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — finally
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. suit — in cards
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. vault — a safe
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — final
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — to go on
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. net — in sport
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — to fit

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