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

Word bank: calf · club · wind · rock · chair · pound · arm · wound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pound — a weight
  3. club — for golf
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — a group
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rock — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — a stone
  24. arm — part of the body

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