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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: fall · clip · row · patient · cabinet · toast · temple · key

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — a line
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. key — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. toast — bread
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fall — to drop

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