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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · racket · pop · kick · band · leaves · wind · calf

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a ring
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. band — a music group
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — soda
  14. kick — in football
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pop — to visit
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pop — music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. band — a rubber band
  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