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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: land · bear · rest · clip · safe · arm · game · patient

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — wild animals
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — a break
  9. clip — a video
  10. game — a match
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — the animal

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