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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.

Make a worksheet

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: land · face · cold · tear · patient · bound · firm · staff

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. face — part of the head
  5. firm — decided
  6. land — ground
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tear — to rip
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bound — certain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — an illness
  17. firm — a company
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — a stick
  21. land — a country
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. land — to come down
  24. staff — employees

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