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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — to handle
  4. board — to get on
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — of water
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. board — a committee
  16. kick — in football
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. calf — a young animal

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