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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — in golf
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — to play on
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. date — the fruit
  16. tube — a container
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. branch — a division
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — letters
  24. calf — of the leg

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