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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: last · spring · pit · cold · patient · ruler · pound · fine

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — finally
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spring — of water
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. last — to go on
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pit — in a race
  19. last — final
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fine — high quality
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fine — a penalty

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