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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: spring · pitch · cue · patient · calf · temple · shower · cell

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cue — a signal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitch — completely
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. spring — of water
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. shower — rain
  24. cue — a hint

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