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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 · bass · jam · toast · arm · chest · mine · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — low music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mine — for digging

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