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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: bear · object · cap · calf · key · mine · chest · arm

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. bear — to put up with
  2. chest — of your body
  3. key — the most important part
  4. object — an aim
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — to protest
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — in music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. object — a thing
  19. bear — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chest — a box
  23. cap — a lid
  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