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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: staff · bay · patient · face · stand · degree · fall · game

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — a match
  6. stand — to bear
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to confront
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. fall — the season
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. staff — a stick
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. game — wild animals
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fall — to drop

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