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

Word bank: game · trunk · bear · drill · stand · kick · rest · bay

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rest — a break
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — a practice
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — a match

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