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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · roll · mine · bay · face · land · net · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. land — to come down
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. face — to point toward
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. roll — a list
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to confront
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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