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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — final
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — to go on
  24. calf — a young animal

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