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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: mine · snap · season · patient · content · rock · temple · arm

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rock — music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. season — of the year
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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