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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. bank — for money
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pound — a weight
  12. staff — employees
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — a stick
  15. land — to come down
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — for money
  24. chest — a box

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