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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: bay · court · calf · patient · wind · row · pop · mate

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — music
  16. court — of a king
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — soda
  24. row — a line

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