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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wax — to grow
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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