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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to bend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. land — to come down
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — a tool
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a document
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. file — a tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. land — a country

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