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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. row — a line
  3. suit — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. suit — to fit
  7. spring — the season
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. row — to paddle
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — of water
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. suit — clothes
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a quarrel

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