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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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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: hand · kid · mark · file · foot · patient · lean · calf

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lean — thin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mark — a trace
  10. file — a line of people
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. file — a tool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. foot — a measure
  20. kid — child
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lean — to bend

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