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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: rush · pound · saw · spell · kid · trunk · calf · fan

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — a weight
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — child
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — for dogs

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