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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: tear · safe · patient · saw · club · trunk · cell · season

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tear — to rip
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tear — from crying
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — in biology

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