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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 116 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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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: bank · fall · bound · kid · calf · net · tear · chair

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — a leader
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bank — for money
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fall — to drop
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — child
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — to rip

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