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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: mouse · net · mark · patient · branch · temple · firm · chest

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. net — after costs
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — a division
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. firm — steady
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — decided
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — in sport
  24. mark — a grade

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