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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: trunk · calf · stand · mine · lie · pop · jam · field

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pop — music
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — to visit
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. field — farmland
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stand — on your feet

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