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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.

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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: band · stand · file · patient · kid · safe · court · sharp

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — for sport
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. court — of a king
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of law
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. file — a tool
  23. stand — on your feet
  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