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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: rush · temple · pitcher · deal · clip · patient · spell · calf

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — a jug

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