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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 · chip · season · patient · vault · date · row · fork

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — the fruit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — in a road
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a quarrel

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