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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: patient · row · temple · squash · wound · cabinet · kick · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kick — in football
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. hand — help
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — an injury

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