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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: fall · calf · rush · bore · bat · pop · kick · patient

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kick — in football
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — a young animal

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