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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: ruler · fall · patient · toast · clip · mug · trunk · chest

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — the season
  5. toast — bread
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mug — a face
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chest — of your body
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mug — a cup

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