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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 · mug · current · patient · kick · cell · band · saw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a ring
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. band — a music group
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. current — electric
  14. kick — in football
  15. mug — to rob
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mug — a cup
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — in biology

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