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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: ruler · bear · wake · rash · patient · spring · racket · hand

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bear — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spring — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  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