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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.

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: bat · rock · bear · spring · chest · arm · face · calf

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to confront
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. chest — a box
  17. face — to point toward
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. chest — of your body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. calf — a young animal

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