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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 · arm · fan · pound · board · date · chest · lie

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. board — a committee
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chest — of your body
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pound — a weight
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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