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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · patient · craft · temple · jam · rest · degree · pitcher

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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 — a thrill
  3. craft — boats
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — hurry
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. degree — an amount
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — a jug

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