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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: pit · patient · safe · ground · saw · perch · content · trunk

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — happy
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — crushed
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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