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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: racket · safe · lean · perch · tear · patient · chair · swing

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — in golf
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lean — thin
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — a leader
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — music

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