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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · pitcher · mine · cabinet · patient · wake · mate · tube

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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