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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · scale · rule · wake · stem · wound · mate · hand

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — help
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a partner
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. patient — a sick person

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