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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 · rule · stem · content · bowl

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. face — to point toward
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. face — to confront
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. content — the amount
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — part of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. content — happy

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