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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: date · calf · tear · key · patient · cabinet · bowl · lean

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — to rip
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — thin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cabinet — ministers

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