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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: stand · fall · bark · safe · patient · chest · bass · snap

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chest — of your body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — the season
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stand — for spectators

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