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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: bowl · chair · calf · wound · suit · trunk · degree · bat

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. suit — to fit
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wound — an injury

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