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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — there
  4. track — a path
  5. present — a gift
  6. track — a song
  7. rest — what's left
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — a break
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. file — a document
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. present — the time now
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. arm — part of the body

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