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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: staff · cabinet · file · mine · calf · pound · lash · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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