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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: shower · mug · hand · last · patient · cap · club · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — help
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mug — to rob
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cap — of ice
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. club — for golf
  16. cap — a hat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. last — finally
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. last — final
  23. mug — a face
  24. club — a group

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