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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 120 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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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 · track · safe · face · shower · tear · mine · stock

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tear — from crying
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. face — to confront
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — shares
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. face — part of the head
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — to point toward

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