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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 · mine · board · wind · wave · march · bat · calf

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. chest — a box
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. march — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. march — the month
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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