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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: firm · calf · row · degree · arm · lean · patient · spring

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — decided
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — steady
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a line
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. degree — temperature
  24. arm — a part of something

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