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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to click
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a music group
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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