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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: patient · foot · dip · field · spring · ruler · chest · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. spring — a coil
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. dip — to sink
  6. field — for sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. field — farmland
  10. foot — a measure
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — a break
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chest — a box
  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