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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: nail · lie · calf · wound · jam · chest · stick · wake

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — a box
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. jam — a tight spot

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