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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 · mark · last · patient · game · wound · stand · track

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. game — wild animals
  3. last — final
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. last — finally
  6. stand — to bear
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a match
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — a song
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. game — a kind of play

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