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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: tear · patient · file · ruler · chest · land · pass · lean

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. file — a document
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chest — of your body
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pass — a permit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. chest — a box
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. lean — to bend
  16. land — a country
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. land — to come down
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — of your body

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