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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: bowl · mine · court · temple · wave · patient · fork · mate

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — for sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. court — of a king
  24. mine — belonging to me

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