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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: calf · bulb · patient · row · game · ground · vault · net

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — a line
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. net — in sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. net — after costs
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ground — the earth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — a match
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — a safe
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. net — for catching
  24. game — a kind of play

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