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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: mouse · patient · jam · shower · face · rule · fine · pound

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rule — a law
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fine — high quality
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fine — all right
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. fine — a penalty

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