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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
468
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: patient · content · degree · spell · bark · mate · plane · temple

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — the amount
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spell — letters
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — happy
  24. spell — magic

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