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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: deal · cold · bass · pop · lie · arm · calf · patient

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — to visit
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pop — soda
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — an illness
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the instrument

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