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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. firm — steady
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — to drop
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — a company
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. firm — decided
  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