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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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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. current — happening now
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — of water
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. current — electric
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — a line
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group

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