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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: bear · cap · staff · dip · patient · band · wake · face

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — to confront
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cap — of ice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a ring
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a music group
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — part of the head
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bear — to put up with

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