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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — to play on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rash — a series
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. scale — in music
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — of the leg

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