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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: calf · saw · stock · file · patient · last · land · safe

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. file — a tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — a country
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — finally
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — ground
  20. stock — shares
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — to come down
  24. calf — of the leg

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