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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 120 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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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: bank · squash · patient · safe · stick · firm · hide · wound

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bank — of a river
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — for money
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. firm — steady
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. patient — a sick person

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