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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 120 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: patient · land · bass · hide · bore · nail · lean · face

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bore — to tire
  4. lean — to bend
  5. face — to confront
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bass — low music
  9. lean — thin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — ground
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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