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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rule — government
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — a law
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. wake — a trail
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. last — final
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. calf — a young animal

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