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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: rest · straw · patient · rock · pass · snap · fan · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. rest — a break
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — a place of worship

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