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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 120 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: wake · content · cabinet · safe · row · patient · pit · tube

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. row — a line
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wake — a trail
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. content — the amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. content — happy
  24. pit — in a race

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