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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: kid · track · patient · key · wake · board · tear · safe

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — in music
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — child
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — to keep track
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. track — a song
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. key — the most important part

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