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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · patient · spell · tear · date · face · rash · mine

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  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. date — the fruit
  2. rash — a series
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — magic
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — letters
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — to point toward
  23. patient — a sick person
  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