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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · patient · land · dip · bore · temple · tear · pitcher

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. dip — to sink
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — ground
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bore — to tire
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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