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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — in sport
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a ring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — a tool
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — for catching
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  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