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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: cabinet · rash · cap · patient · roll · ruler · field · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — to be able to
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. field — a subject
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rash — a series
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. roll — a list
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a cake

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