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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 · calf · board · hide · snap · leaves · spring · hand

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to click
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — the season
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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