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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 116 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: saw · mine · last · pass · hand · patient · row · calf

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — for digging
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pass — a permit
  11. last — finally
  12. hand — help
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. last — to go on
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. last — final
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — part of the body

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