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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 · squash · charge · stem · bat · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chest — a box
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. charge — in control
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. calf — of the leg

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