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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: wake · cabinet · branch · staff · patient · rest · stick · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — employees
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rest — a break
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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