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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: march · spring · fine · craft · row · temple · firm · patient

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — a coil
  3. firm — a company
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. firm — steady
  8. row — to paddle
  9. craft — boats
  10. row — a line
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — a skill
  16. march — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — decided
  21. fine — all right
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — high quality

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