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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.

Words on the sheet
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: hand · safe · court · patient · cell · leaves · rash · perch

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — of a king
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — in cards
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. court — of law
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — a series
  21. cell — in biology
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — in a prison

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