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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: patient · ruler · spring · last · land · lie · dip · ground

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. land — a country
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lie — to recline
  11. last — finally
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ground — the earth
  16. last — final
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — to go on
  19. spring — a coil
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spring — the season
  24. patient — a sick person

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