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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: land · face · trunk · mark · bulb · patient · chair · mine

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — to come down
  8. chair — a leader
  9. face — to confront
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — ground
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — a country
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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