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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: cap · suit · hand · mark · patient · field · temple · wind

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — a grade
  4. field — farmland
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. field — for sport
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. field — a subject
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. temple — a place of worship

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