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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: wake · ruler · row · cabinet · chair · patient · board · lash

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wake — a trail
  19. board — a committee
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — to sit on

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