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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — money
  12. club — a group
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. band — a music group
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. band — a rubber band

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