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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
468
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: calf · fork · mug · content · field · trunk · game · fall

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — the amount
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — a match
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fall — to drop
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. field — for sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mug — a cup
  14. field — a subject
  15. game — wild animals
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fork — in a road
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — the season
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fall — to drop
  23. field — farmland
  24. trunk — of a tree

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