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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: calf · land · patient · bulb · cold · ground · mark · face

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ground — the earth
  20. land — ground
  21. mark — a grade
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. cold — an illness

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