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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. clip — for paper
  8. staff — a stick
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — a weight
  13. shower — rain
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — a video
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. clip — to cut

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