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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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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: ruler · wake · roll · kick · bank · last · chest · patient

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bank — for money
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — finally
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — a box
  11. last — final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. roll — a list
  14. chest — of your body
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. roll — a cake
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bank — of a river
  23. last — to go on
  24. wake — before a funeral

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