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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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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: stick · trunk · kid · march · saw · calf · pop · board

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pop — soda
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. board — to get on
  5. pop — music
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. march — the month
  9. board — a committee
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. march — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. kid — child

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