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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: court · band · perch · squash · scale · safe · mate · patient

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mate — a friend
  4. squash — to crush
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. court — of a king
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mate — to breed

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