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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — to tease
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. snap — to click
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — an aim
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. object — to protest
  24. kid — child

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