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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
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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 · ground · foot · patient · saw · bass · chest · calf

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — a box
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. swing — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. swing — in golf
  18. foot — a measure
  19. swing — to play on
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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