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

Word bank: land · sharp · fork · stick · calf · trunk · pound · arm

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — in a road
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. land — ground
  18. pound — a weight
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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