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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: can · calf · stand · saw · wound · chest · trunk · sharp

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — an injury
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — to be able to
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — a box
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wound — an injury

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