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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: band · patient · temple · cabinet · march · spring · hand · craft

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — in cards
  6. march — music
  7. craft — boats
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a ring
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. band — a music group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — help
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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