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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bass · degree · bound · patient · calf · hand · bear

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — letters
  10. bear — the animal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bound — obliged
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — certain
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bear — to put up with
  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