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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rash · staff · ruler · field · cap · rock · patient · wake

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — farmland
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — a stick

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