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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 116 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: bowl · drill · land · rush · face · mouse · patient · last

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. face — to point toward
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — to confront
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — army training
  7. land — ground
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. last — final
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. land — a country
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — to come down
  24. rush — a thrill

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