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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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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: cell · cue · calf · patient · mine · clip · rest · jam

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cue — for pool
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rest — a break
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. clip — for paper
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cue — a hint
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cell — in a prison

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