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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 120 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: bear · hand · lean · calf · deal · file · arm · land

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. land — ground
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. land — a country
  24. file — a document

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