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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: branch · pop · ground · mine · firm · patient · temple · cold

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mine — for digging
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. firm — decided
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pop — to visit
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — crushed
  16. firm — steady
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ground — a position
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cold — not warm
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. firm — a company
  24. cold — an illness

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