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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. staff — employees
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pass — a permit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wake — a trail
  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