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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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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: mine · chair · ruler · tear · key · wave · mate · patient

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tear — from crying
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  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