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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: ruler · nail · last · mark · patient · mine · chest · sharp

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — for digging
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — of your body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. last — final
  14. chest — a box
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — to go on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — an explosive

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