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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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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: patient · toast · chest · bound · field · wave · ruler · row

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bound — certain
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. field — a subject
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. row — to paddle
  13. field — farmland
  14. row — a line
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chest — a box
  21. field — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. toast — bread
  24. bound — obliged

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