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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: cold · bear · ball · calf · fan · trunk · club · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ball — a dance
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a great time

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