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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: face · patient · clip · bore · tube · cell · snap · ruler

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. snap — to click
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cell — a phone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cell — in biology
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. face — to confront
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tube — a container
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. face — to point toward

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