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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: shower · mouse · pop · field · lie · patient · temple · chip

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pop — soda
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pop — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. shower — to wash
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. field — for sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — rain
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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