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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: bear · patient · ruler · cell · mine · straw · racket · object

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. object — to protest
  24. cell — a phone

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