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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: roll · bark · patient · cabinet · staff · hide · safe · bulb

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. roll — a list
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. safe — out of danger
  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