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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · march · cell · calf · patient · snap

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to click
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. object — to protest
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. object — a thing
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. object — an aim
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — the month

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