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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: swing · calf · leaves · rash · patient · ground · track · can

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ground — crushed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. can — to be able to
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. swing — in golf
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — the earth
  15. track — a path
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a song
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. swing — to play on

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