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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rest — a break
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — soda
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pop — music

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