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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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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: cabinet · perch · wake · file · rule · temple · face · patient

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. file — a tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rule — government
  14. wake — a trail
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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