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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. squash — to crush
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. dip — to sink
  24. calf — of the leg

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