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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: chest · roll · stem · bat · prune · bound · calf · fine

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — obliged
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fine — all right
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chest — a box
  16. stem — to come from
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bound — certain
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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