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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.

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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rush — hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. root — the cause
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chest — a box
  21. root — of a word
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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