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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. file — a line of people
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. root — of a word
  13. file — a tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a document
  18. root — the cause
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — of the leg

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