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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: ruler · craft · mouse · fall · dip · cap · patient · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. craft — boats
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fall — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. patient — a sick person

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