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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: chest · fork · calf · sharp · land · patient · wave · chair

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fork — in a road
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. land — a country
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. land — to come down

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