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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: bore · roll · saw · trunk · calf · date · foot · field

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. date — the fruit
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bore — to drill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. field — a subject
  18. roll — a cake
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. roll — a list
  24. foot — part of the body

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