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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 · chest · cold · bass · cap · lie · lean · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. lean — thin
  3. bass — low music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bear — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chest — a box
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cap — of ice

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