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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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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: chest · chip · lie · calf · craft · cell · straw · patient

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. craft — boats
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chip — for betting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — a phone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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