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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: patient · straw · hide · trunk · fall · safe · file · stem

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. file — a document
  4. fall — the season
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. file — a line of people
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — to come from
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — a straw man

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