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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: hand · arm · calf · cell · straw · fall · kid · lean

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. lean — thin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — a phone
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — dry grass

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