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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · face · patient · tube · calf · spell · tear · spring

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — a break
  7. face — to point toward
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to confront
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tube — a container
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. spell — magic
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — part of the head

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