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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: season · cell · saw · branch · pass · patient · temple · club

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. branch — a division
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. club — a group
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cell — in biology
  15. club — for golf
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — a phone
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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