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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: net · wake · arm · patient · ruler · prune · band · face

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. band — a ring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. face — to point toward
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — after costs
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a music group
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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