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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. branch — of a bank

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