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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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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: mine · stand · patient · wind · cold · deal · face · mark

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. face — part of the head
  3. deal — to handle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cold — an illness
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — for digging
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mark — a grade

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