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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: land · mine · ground · saw · trunk · calf · staff · jam

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. staff — employees
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — a stick
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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