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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — of a king
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cell — in biology
  13. last — final
  14. court — for sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. court — of law
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — finally
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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