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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: wound · date · bulb · content · safe · wind · patient · root

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. root — of a word
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. root — of a plant
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — the amount
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — the cause
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — videos and posts
  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