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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 120 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: bear · chest · bowl · current · ground · land · calf · fall

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. land — ground
  4. current — of water
  5. fall — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. current — happening now
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — a country
  12. current — electric
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chest — a box
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — a position

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