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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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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: drill · rule · cap · patient · bank · fall · tube · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rule — government
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tube — a container
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — a law
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to confront
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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