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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.

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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rule — government
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. shower — to wash
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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