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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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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: roll · pass · row · straw · ground · calf · trunk · fall

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. roll — a list
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pass — a permit
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. fall — the season
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. ground — the earth
  24. straw — dry grass

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