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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.

Make a worksheet

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: saw · date · bowl · wave · patient · last · season · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. last — finally
  8. date — the fruit
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. saw — the tool

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