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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: patient · cell · hide · coach · wave · fall · face · craft

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to point toward
  13. craft — a skill
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to confront

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