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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: ground · march · bear · kick · staff · ruler · patient · wake

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. staff — employees
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ground — a position
  5. bear — the animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kick — in football
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. march — music
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wake — a trail
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. staff — employees
  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