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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: lie · scale · patient · calf · deal · mug · bass · spring

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mug — a face
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. spring — the season
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mug — a cup
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mug — to rob
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. spring — of water

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