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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: rule · wake · spell · patient · saw · kid · arm · mine

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — government
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. spell — letters
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rule — a law
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mine — belonging to me

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