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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · rest · shower · march · face · chest · bound

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — obliged
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — a break
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — a country
  11. march — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. land — ground
  15. march — the month
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — tied together
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to confront
  24. land — to come down

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