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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · cell · spring · mouse · game · patient · cue · face

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. object — a thing
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. spring — the season
  18. face — part of the head
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — of water

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