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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: lean · calf · fall · pound · patient · cold · mug · chair

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pound — a weight
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mug — a face
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a leader
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lean — thin
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — an illness
  24. calf — of the leg

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