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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bear — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. dip — to dunk

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