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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: rule · rush · wake · land · patient · kick · safe · hand

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. land — ground
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rule — a law
  24. wake — before a funeral

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