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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · calf · staff · patient · ground · stem · safe · tube

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ground — the earth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tube — the underground
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. ground — a position
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. safe — out of danger

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