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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. row — a line
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kick — in football
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — clever
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stem — a stem cell

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