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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: face · clip · patient · march · plane · tube · ball · bowl

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. face — to point toward
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. face — part of the head
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. march — the month
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. face — to confront

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