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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — money
  12. land — ground
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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