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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 120 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: arm · temple · bore · wind · rush · patient · pass · bass

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bass — low music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the fish
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pass — to succeed

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