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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: wave · calf · present · pound · lie · bound · trunk · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — there
  8. bound — obliged
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. last — to go on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bound — certain
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pound — a weight
  19. present — the time now
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lie — to recline
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. present — a gift
  24. trunk — of a tree

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