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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: kick · file · bank · bat · fall · hide · pound · chest

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bank — for money
  21. pound — a weight
  22. file — a tool
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chest — of your body

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