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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cap — a lid
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hand — help
  21. cap — a hat
  22. plane — a tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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