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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.

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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. present — the time now
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fan — a supporter

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