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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: rest · trunk · pitcher · bank · perch · calf · cap · clip

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bank — for money
  4. perch — the fish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rest — a break
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. clip — a video
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rest — what's left
  24. perch — for a bird

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