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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · game · firm · kid · band · patient · net · temple

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kid — to tease
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. firm — a company
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kid — child
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. firm — steady
  13. net — after costs
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — in sport
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. craft — boats
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — wild animals
  22. firm — decided
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a music group

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