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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.

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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: cue · season · calf · patient · spell · rush · temple · shower

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. season — in sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cue — for pool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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