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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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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 · spring · face · ruler · tube · fall · rule · mouse

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — a coil
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fall — the season
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. spring — of water
  12. rule — government
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — the season

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