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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: safe · patient · wind · ball · cold · leaves · vault · fork

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cold — an illness
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ball — a dance
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ball — a great time
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — a safe

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