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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 · patient · row · land · kick · press · net · capital

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — in sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. land — a country
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. land — to come down
  18. kick — in football
  19. row — a line
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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