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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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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 · tube · rule · roll · degree · rest · arm · patient

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. face — to confront
  5. tube — the underground
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — from a university
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. degree — an amount
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rule — government
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a list
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rest — a break
  23. rule — a law
  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