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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 120 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: mark · arm · trunk · kid · calf · coach · object · pound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. object — an aim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. object — a thing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. object — to protest
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. coach — a trainer

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