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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: trunk · bulb · fork · race · cell · cap · calf · wound

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cap — of ice
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. race — humankind
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. race — the arms race
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fork — to eat with

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