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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 120 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: bore · fall · cabinet · present · rule · wound · patient · ground

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rule — a law
  3. ground — a position
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. present — there
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — government
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — a gift
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. present — the time now

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