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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: pound · squash · tear · arm · land · bank · calf · mine

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. squash — to crush
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pound — a weight
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bank — of a river
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bank — for money

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