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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: board · calf · wake · swing · club · wound · chest · drill

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. board — a committee
  8. chest — of your body
  9. drill — a practice
  10. club — for golf
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — a group
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — a box
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — the tool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. swing — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. swing — to play on

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