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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 · hand · roll · racket · calf · land · rock · game

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. roll — a cake
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rock — a stone
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — wild animals
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a match
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — help
  24. calf — of the leg

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