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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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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: safe · wound · rest · patient · fall · drill · bat · straw

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fall — to drop
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. drill — a practice
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bat — the animal
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rest — a break
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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