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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: patient · fall · wake · mark · cap · bear · sharp · face

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — the season
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bear — the animal

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