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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 found your soul ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — to breed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spell — letters
  10. craft — boats
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spell — a short time
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — magic

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