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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: pitcher · jam · roll · prune · patient · can · rush · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. can — to be able to
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. roll — a cake
  17. prune — to trim
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — a tin
  24. temple — side of the head

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