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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: pit · calf · hand · patient · roll · track · fan · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — a path
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hand — help
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a list
  23. track — a song
  24. patient — a sick person

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