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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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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 · ball · bear · trunk · lie · racket · field · race

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — a subject
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. field — for sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — farmland
  24. race — the arms race

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