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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: cap · lean · calf · chair · chest · drill · wake · bear

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bear — the animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — a box
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chest — of your body
  24. calf — of the leg

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