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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: season · arm · tear · patient · lean · wind · mine · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — thin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — in sport
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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