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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 120 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: leaves · cell · club · bat · patient · rash · safe · stand

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stand — to bear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rash — a series
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. club — for golf
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. club — a group
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for dancing

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