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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: bank · patient · wound · cold · calf · kid · fan · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kid — child
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cold — not warm
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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