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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: band · calf · mouse · chest · net · rest · ruler · ground

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. chest — a box
  4. rest — a break
  5. net — in sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — for catching
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ground — a position
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. band — a ring

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