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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: race · fall · craft · face · patient · bear

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — the season
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. race — the arms race
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — to drop
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. race — a contest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. face — to confront
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. race — humankind

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