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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — to trim
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mug — to rob
  15. face — to point toward
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mug — a face
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — government
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mug — a cup
  24. shower — rain

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