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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: safe · last · bass · cabinet · patient · sharp · fall · leaves

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. last — final
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fall — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — the fish
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bass — low music

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