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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: chest · band · lash · staff · calf · lie · snap · drill

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — a box
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. staff — a stick
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. drill — a practice
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — employees
  20. lie — to recline
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. drill — army training
  24. lash — to lash out

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