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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: temple · snap · land · bear · saw · branch · patient · perch

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — the fish
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to click
  24. branch — of a tree

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