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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · press · calf · bound · drill · chest · jam · patient

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — certain
  6. press — newspapers
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. press — to push
  16. chest — a box
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bound — obliged
  19. drill — a practice
  20. kick — in football
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bound — tied together

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