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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.

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: bay · arm · fan · temple · patient · bear · bat · mine

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bear — the animal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bat — the animal

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