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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · date · bore · patient · spring · field · safe · straw

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. present — the time now
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. spring — a coil
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spring — of water
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — to tire
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. field — a subject
  20. date — the fruit
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — to drill
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. straw — dry grass

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