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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: toast · temple · fan · jam · prune · patient · rush · spring

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — of water
  9. prune — to trim
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. prune — to trim
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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