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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: face · game · fall · patient · pitch · stem · wound · wave

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. face — to confront
  7. fall — the season
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitch — completely
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — a match
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wound — an injury
  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