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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: hand · bank · lean · kick · mouse · fall · bat · chest

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. lean — thin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — the season
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kick — in football
  21. bank — for money
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fall — to drop

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