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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: pop · patient · spell · temple · drill · roll · firm · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — letters
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pop — to visit
  7. roll — a list
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. firm — steady
  11. drill — a practice
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. firm — a company
  17. pop — music
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pop — soda
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — army training
  24. firm — decided

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