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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: ball · pound · patient · calf · race · cell

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pound — a weight
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — a contest
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cell — in biology
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. race — humankind

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