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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: calf · bear · net · land · bound · fall · vault · chest

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — to come down
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — after costs
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bear — the animal
  15. land — ground
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chest — a box
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bear — to put up with

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