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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: march · ruler · wind · patient · rash · key · dip · coach

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. key — the most important part
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — in music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. key — for a lock
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. dip — to sink
  18. march — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — a series
  24. ruler — for measuring

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