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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.

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: hand · cabinet · march · ruler · face · patient · straw · stem

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — to come from
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to confront
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. face — to point toward
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — a monarch

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