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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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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: bark · shower · racket · pass · capital · temple · patient · tube

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — rain
  11. capital — a city
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — the underground
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — a container
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. capital — money

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