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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: file · land · cue · patient · racket · calf · present · bank

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bank — for money
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — there
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. present — the time now
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. land — to come down
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — a country
  24. patient — a sick person

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