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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: spring · calf · chest · pound · bat · stand · lash · drill

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. spring — the season
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spring — of water
  19. pound — a weight
  20. drill — army training
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spring — a coil
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stand — to bear

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