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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hand — help
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — to rip
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitch — completely
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — a trainer
  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