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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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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: stick · wound · cell · calf · rush · lean · patient · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lean — thin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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