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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: trunk · wound · hand · calf · kick · pit · capital · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. capital — a city
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. capital — money
  11. hand — help
  12. kick — in football
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. calf — a young animal

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