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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: patient · calf · bat · race · saw · lean · fan · rule

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. race — humankind
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rule — government
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — to bend
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — a contest
  22. rule — a law
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — to rule out

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