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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — a phone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — a box
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — an aim
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — a tin

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