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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: press · patient · deal · temple · rest · nail · club · bound

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. club — for dancing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. club — a group
  7. deal — to handle
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rest — a break
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bound — tied together
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. rest — what's left
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bound — obliged
  23. club — for golf
  24. deal — a big deal

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