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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kick — in football
  3. race — a contest
  4. shower — to wash
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cold — not warm
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lean — to bend
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. race — humankind
  20. pop — soda
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — with a 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