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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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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: patient · fall · temple · net · cap · bat · degree · bank

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bank — of a river
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — an amount
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — to drop
  16. net — after costs
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bank — for money
  21. cap — a hat
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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