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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: craft · chip · leaves · mate · temple · patient · mine · wind

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. craft — a skill
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. craft — boats
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — for digging
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mate — a friend
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chip — for betting

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