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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 116 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 · hide · fine · land · patient · wound · cell · racket

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — a phone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. face — to confront
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. land — to come down
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wound — an injury
  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