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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: temple · current · stick · band · patient · fall · lean · capital

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — to bend
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lean — thin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. capital — money
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a music group
  24. current — of water

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