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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · trunk · game · mouse · stick · calf · ground · march

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ground — the earth
  15. march — the month
  16. date — the fruit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — a match
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ground — crushed

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