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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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468
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 · chest · present · patient · safe · bat · ball · stand

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — to bear
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chest — a box
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. present — the time now
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ball — a great time
  17. present — a gift
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stand — on your feet

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