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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: net · tear · band · safe · patient · kick · ruler · wound

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. band — a music group
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — after costs
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — in sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — in football
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. tear — to rip
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — for catching
  24. ruler — a monarch

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