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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: patient · lean · wake · lash · spell · march · net · calf

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — thin
  6. march — music
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spell — letters
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. net — in sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — after costs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to rest against

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