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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: wake · land · wound · game · march · ruler · patient · trunk

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of a car

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