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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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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: pop · face · cell · straw · stand · rule · jam · patient

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rule — a law
  4. stand — to bear
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pop — soda
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rule — government
  10. pop — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. face — to confront
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. face — part of the head
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — to visit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cell — in biology

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