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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. land — to come down
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — ground
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — in a race
  19. land — a country
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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