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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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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: ball · hand · kick · calf · patient · race · pound · lean

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lean — thin
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — in football
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lean — to bend
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — a weight
  14. race — humankind
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hand — in cards
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — to hit hard

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