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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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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: branch · content · ruler · mate · hand · rule · patient · perch

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — help
  9. rule — government
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. content — the amount
  19. branch — a division
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mate — to breed
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. branch — of a bank

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