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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 · wind · ruler · rock · face · bear

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bear — the animal
  9. face — to confront
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — calm and waiting

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