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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: wind · patient · nail · pound · fan · calf · rush · hand

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — hurry

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