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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: mate · patient · degree · face · wake · kid · lie · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — a partner
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — an amount
  15. face — to confront
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kid — to tease
  24. face — to point toward

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