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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 120 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: hide · patient · foot · calf · saw · last · cell · cap

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. foot — a measure
  7. cap — a hat
  8. last — final
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cap — of ice
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — in a prison

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