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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: calf · chest · jam · wake · bore · hand · rush · spring

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. spring — the season
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spring — of water
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. hand — help
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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