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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · current · lean · pitcher · calf · content · kid · patient

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lean — thin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. content — happy
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — of water
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. clip — a video
  24. patient — a sick person

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