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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: saw · club · ground · rule · stand · patient · degree · face

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. face — to point toward
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. club — a group
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rule — a law
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — a position
  14. stand — to bear
  15. club — for golf
  16. degree — from a university
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rule — government
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. saw — the tool

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