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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: kid · patient · field · mug · squash · sharp · calf · bat

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. field — farmland
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. field — for sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. mug — a cup
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a face

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