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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bank — for money
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — of a river
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — of law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — a strongbox

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