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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: stick · hand · charge · staff · chest · wind · calf · mate

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — help
  3. mate — a friend
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — a partner
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — employees
  14. mate — to breed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. staff — employees
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. charge — a price
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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