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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. roll — a list
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. craft — boats
  11. roll — a cake
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — a skill
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — of a tree

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