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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — to come down
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — ground
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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