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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: game · prune · calf · mouse · cold · lash · patient · arm

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — wild animals
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cold — not warm
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cold — an illness
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. calf — a young animal

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