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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: chest · swing · lean · calf · straw · roll · bank · bound

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bound — obliged
  6. roll — a list
  7. lean — thin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lean — to bend
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chest — a box
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — certain
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — music
  24. lean — to rest against

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