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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 120 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: cue · temple · staff · branch · rash · court · mate · patient

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cue — a hint
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mate — a friend
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — a series
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. branch — a division
  24. staff — a stick

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