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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — to visit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bear — the animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — the season
  16. kid — child
  17. bear — the animal
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pop — music
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. foot — a measure

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