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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: stock · calf · mate · patient · press · rush · straw · arm

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stock — shares
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — hurry
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. press — a publisher
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mate — to breed
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mate — a friend

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