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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.

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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: root · chest · swing · march · fan · calf · patient · content

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — in golf
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. content — the amount
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — the cause

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