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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 · fall · bound · nail · lie · pop · chest · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chest — a box
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pop — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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