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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lean — thin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — happening now
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. field — farmland
  22. lean — to bend
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — to wash

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