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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.

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: leaves · degree · cue · patient · temple · shower · rash · racket

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — a signal
  5. shower — rain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. shower — to wash
  12. degree — from a university
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rash — a series
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — an amount
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. temple — a place of worship

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