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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: ruler · patient · bore · chip · tear · sharp · rock · wound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rock — music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — for betting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chip — in a computer

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