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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fall — to drop
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wax — to grow
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — letters
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — rain
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — magic
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — a short time

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