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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 120 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. squash — the sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. clip — to cut
  13. ball — a great time
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. clip — a video
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. clip — for paper

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