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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: hand · saw · calf · march · jam · game · straw · trunk

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — a match
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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