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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: net · safe · patient · fan · tube · calf · land · date

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — a container
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — a country
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. date — the fruit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — ground
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — after costs
  24. calf — of the leg

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