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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: patient · date · trunk · game · bowl · can · pass · face

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — part of the head
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pass — a permit
  9. face — to point toward
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. face — to confront
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pass — to succeed

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