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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: chest · row · band · calf · ruler · firm · land · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — a company
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. row — to paddle
  6. firm — steady
  7. land — a country
  8. land — ground
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. land — to come down
  11. firm — decided
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — rain
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a ring
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. band — a music group
  24. 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