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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: calf · sharp · drill · spring · wind · trunk · march · patient

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. drill — army training
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. drill — a practice
  23. march — the month
  24. spring — of water

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