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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: nail · content · calf · patient · sharp · suit · wake · land

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — happy
  5. land — ground
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — a country
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — for a hammer

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