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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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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: chest · racket · face · bulb · chair · wake · patient · rule

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — of your body
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rule — a law
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to confront
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chest — a box
  24. chair — a leader

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