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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.

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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: mug · safe · mine · patient · wind · cabinet · stem · cold

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mug — a face
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cold — an illness
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. patient — a sick person

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