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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: lean · hide · rule · cell · tear · rash · patient · bound

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rule — a law
  9. cell — a phone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — a series
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — thin
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — tied together

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