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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a tool
  10. tube — the underground
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — a trail
  18. last — final
  19. file — a document
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — a container

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