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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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Word bank
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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to click
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — for digging
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — a contest
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. kid — child
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — ground
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — a country
  24. kid — to tease

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