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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: squash · rest · toast · calf · clip · patient · bore · pitcher

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to drill
  6. squash — to crush
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — what's left
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rest — a break
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bore — to tire
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — a video
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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