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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pit — a hole
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a music group
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — the underground
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — rain
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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