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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — of water
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kick — in football
  17. pop — soda
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. spring — the season
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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