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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mug — a face
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ground — a position
  6. kick — in football
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mug — to rob
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mug — a cup
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — crushed
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — the season
  19. ground — the earth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. calf — a young animal

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