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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bat — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. staff — a stick
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. shower — rain
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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