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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: cold · staff · spring · sharp · calf · can · pop · patient

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — clever
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spring — of water
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pop — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — an illness
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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