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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. face — part of the head
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. file — a document
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. file — a tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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