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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 · wake · calf · cell · pitcher · chest · root · bound

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — a box
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bound — certain
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. root — of a word
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. root — the cause
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. cell — a phone

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