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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: rush · dip · club · temple · sharp · drill · patient · wake

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — for golf
  13. drill — army training
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. dip — to sink
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. temple — a place of worship

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