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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 · ruler · tube · rule · drill · tear · key · file

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. drill — army training
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. file — a tool
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — the underground
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rule — a law
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. tube — a container
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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