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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 120 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: race · trunk · bank · hand · content · ball · straw · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bank — for money
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. race — humankind
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — a contest
  12. content — happy
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ball — a dance
  17. content — the amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — help
  21. race — the arms race
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of a tree

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