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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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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 · pitch · wave · deal · mine · row · calf · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — to handle
  6. row — a line
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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