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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bark — to shout
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — of water
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — a young animal

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