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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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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: temple · kid · rest · march · capital · perch · rash · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rest — a break
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. kid — child
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — to tease
  12. capital — a city
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. capital — money
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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