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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 120 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: chest · craft · season · bound · present · calf · track · board

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chest — of your body
  3. present — a gift
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — to keep track
  8. present — the time now
  9. board — a committee
  10. craft — boats
  11. track — a song
  12. board — to get on
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chest — a box
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. craft — a skill
  23. track — a path
  24. bound — tied together

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