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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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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: calf · kid · wind · face · coach · hand · stem · trunk

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to confront
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kid — to tease
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — moving air
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — help
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stem — of a plant

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