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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 116 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: chair · fall · hide · land · wave · lash · patient · calf

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fall — the season
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — to come down
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — of the leg

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