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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: fall · patient · chest · band · ruler · safe · spring · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. band — a music group
  3. fall — to drop
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mug — a face
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. fall — the season
  19. mug — to rob
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — of water
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ruler — for measuring

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