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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: face · leaves · patient · board · jam · shower · bear · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. board — a committee
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to confront
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to point toward
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bear — the animal
  18. clip — a video
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. board — to get on
  24. bear — to put up with

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