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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: craft · chest · hand · calf · ball · land · bulb · stem

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stem — to come from
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. hand — help
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. craft — boats
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bulb — for light
  21. craft — a skill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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