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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · bore · tube · staff · patient · safe · mine · craft

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. craft — a skill
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. staff — employees
  16. craft — boats
  17. tube — a container
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bore — to drill
  24. staff — a stick

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