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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: face · game · patient · bound · dip · tube · bay · last

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — to confront
  3. last — finally
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bound — tied together
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to point toward
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bound — obliged

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