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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · chest · arm · chair · calf · wound · object · net

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — for catching
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — to protest
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — a country
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. object — a thing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. land — to come down
  23. object — an aim
  24. chest — a box

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