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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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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: bank · fall · rest · ball · calf · chest · kid · cap

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bank — for money
  6. chest — a box
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — child
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — the season
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. cap — a lid
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ball — a great time

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