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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: bank · wind · stick · chair · club · hide · chest · calf

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — a group
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chest — a box
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. club — for golf
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a professorship

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