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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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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: cell · calf · ground · chest · sharp · leaves · pound · current

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. current — electric
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — a box
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. current — of water
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. current — happening now
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — exactly

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