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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. march — music
  5. roll — a cake
  6. band — a ring
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. suit — in cards
  13. roll — a list
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — clothes
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a music group
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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