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

Word bank: patient · last · leaves · saw · face · deal

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. face — to confront
  17. last — finally
  18. face — part of the head

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