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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 120 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: chest · sharp · wind · rule · patient · mate · branch · ruler

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chest — a box
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mate — to breed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — a law
  19. mate — a partner
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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