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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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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: tear · arm · calf · firm · hand · spring · ground · fine

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spring — the season
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — high quality
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — all right
  21. firm — a company
  22. hand — help
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. spring — a coil

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