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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: patient · temple · vault · wind · mark · ruler · season · bat

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — a safe
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mark — to pay attention

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