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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: nail · wound · field · arm · patient · chest · calf · bulb

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — farmland
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chest — a box
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. field — a subject
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chest — of your body

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