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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: jam · wind · kid · calf · trunk · lie · bowl · toast

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. toast — bread
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. kid — to tease
  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