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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: dip · calf · fall · face · band · wound · arm · chest

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fall — the season
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a music group
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. band — a ring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fall — to drop
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fall — to drop
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to sink

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