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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 116 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: mine · patient · bank · ground · stand · game · season · face

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — to bear
  5. face — to confront
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — of the year
  10. face — to point toward
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — a position
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — crushed
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — in sport

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