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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: calf · lean · pop · patient · saw · nail · march · chair

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pop — music
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pop — to visit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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