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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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Word bank
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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: face · patient · lash · plane · temple · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. face — to confront
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — of law
  12. plane — a tool
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. court — of a king
  15. face — part of the head
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. plane — in geometry

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