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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: straw · land · patient · mouse · safe · degree · race · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. degree — an amount
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. race — humankind
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. safe — out of danger

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