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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. shower — rain
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — finally
  15. root — of a plant
  16. last — final
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. root — of a word
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. last — to go on
  24. fork — a garden tool

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