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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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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 · nail · patient · cold · chest · cell · cap · ground

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — crushed
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cap — a hat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cell — a phone
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ground — a position
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — on a finger

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