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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. lean — thin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lean — to bend
  19. field — farmland
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — to come down
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. field — for sport

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