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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: ruler · rash · land · cap · spell · trunk · bat · patient

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — letters
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — a country
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spell — a short time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — to come down
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bat — the animal

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