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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: chair · patient · toast · rule · wave · lie

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rule — government
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. chair — a leader

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