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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · arm · suit · patient · face · calf · pitcher · perch

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — in sport
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. suit — clothes
  24. face — part of the head

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