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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: wake · fall · calf · chest · firm · cap · bank · prune

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. firm — decided
  6. fall — the season
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — of a river
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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