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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.

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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: leaves · face · rock · patient · mine · foot · bound · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rock — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bound — certain
  6. foot — a measure
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — tied together
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to confront
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. land — a country
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — obliged
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — to come down
  24. patient — a sick person

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