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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · row · net · hide · patient · nail · tube · safe

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. tube — a container
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. row — to paddle
  24. net — after costs

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