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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: deal · dip · bay · wound · field · trunk · calf · clip

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — to sink
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. field — farmland
  6. clip — to cut
  7. field — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — for paper
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. clip — a video
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. deal — to handle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wound — an injury

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