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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. hand — help
  13. rest — a break
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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