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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · trunk · calf · degree · cell · leaves · pitcher · net

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — for catching
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to confront
  9. cell — a phone
  10. face — to point toward
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. degree — an amount
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. degree — from a university
  22. net — after costs
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. calf — a young animal

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