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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: pound · date · calf · drill · trunk · snap · wax · craft

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. date — the fruit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. drill — army training
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — a practice
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pound — a weight

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