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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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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: calf · object · staff · chest · chip · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. chest — of your body
  7. object — an aim
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — a thing
  11. staff — employees
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — a box
  16. tear — to rip
  17. staff — a stick
  18. calf — a young animal

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