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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: rest · patient · lie · stem · wound · chip · field · ruler

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — a break
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — for betting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — for sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — to come from

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