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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: stand · drill · calf · fan · rest · nail · cold · chest

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. drill — army training
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — to cool the air

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