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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. land — ground
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bear — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. land — a country
  11. track — to keep track
  12. present — the time now
  13. land — to come down
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — there
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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