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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · ground · patient · toast · staff · wound · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — to point toward
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ground — the earth
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — to sink
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. face — to confront
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ground — crushed

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