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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: ball · fall · bound · patient · content · game · face · trunk

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bound — certain
  6. face — part of the head
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fall — the season
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ball — a great time
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a dance
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to point toward
  23. game — wild animals
  24. trunk — of a car

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