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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cell — in biology
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kid — to tease
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — child
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. current — happening now

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