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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: ground · face · mine · present · game · patient · snap · ruler

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to confront
  7. present — the time now
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. game — a match
  10. ground — crushed
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. present — a gift
  20. ground — the earth
  21. present — there
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — for measuring

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