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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: bound · patient · fall · root · ruler · mine · roll · hide

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. bound — certain
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. root — the cause
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. roll — a list
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fall — to drop
  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