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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.

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: pitch · hand · band · staff · calf · patient · cap · file

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a music group
  10. file — a line of people
  11. band — a ring
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hand — in cards
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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