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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: spell · rule · band · patient · mine · lean · bat · temple

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lean — thin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rule — a law
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rule — government
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spell — letters
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. band — a music group

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