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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 120 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: rest · snap · calf · trunk · mine · season · hand · pop

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — help
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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