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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · scale · prune · foot · patient · mug · safe · file

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mug — to rob
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. land — ground
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. file — a tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. scale — size or range
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. scale — in music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mug — a cup
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. land — a country

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