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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 120 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: patient · bore · chest · mouse · ground · wave · calf · stand

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ground — a position
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chest — a box
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. chest — of your body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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