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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.

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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: calf · object · staff · chest · chip · tear · arm · rock

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — employees
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chest — a box
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — an aim
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — a thing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. staff — employees
  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