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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. band — a music group
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a ring
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fork — in a road
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — in geometry

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