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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — a gift
  3. rock — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. present — there
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. race — humankind
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. present — the time now
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. object — a thing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. object — to protest

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