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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.

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: chest · dip · ruler · ground · march · patient · saw · rash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — the month
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ground — a position
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chest — of your body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ground — crushed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — a box
  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