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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: cap · ruler · field · shower · row · file · patient · wax

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. row — to paddle
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — rain
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. file — a document
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — farmland
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — a line
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — for sport

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