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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — final
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cap — a hat
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — to go on
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — a line
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. calf — of the 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