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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: hide · calf · wind · mark · chest · track · bank · bound

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mark — a trace
  4. track — a song
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. chest — a box
  12. bank — of a river
  13. track — to keep track
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. bank — for money
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — a grade
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bound — tied together

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