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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — a container
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — the underground

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