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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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Word bank
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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: rush · staff · file · hide · bulb · bear · patient · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — hurry
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. file — a tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. file — a line of people

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