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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: wave · roll · rule · patient · hide · stick · key · cap

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a cake
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. cap — a lid
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rule — government
  17. roll — a list
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — in music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rule — a law

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