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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: spell · board · pitcher · squash · trunk · club · calf · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — to crush
  13. club — for golf
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. foot — a measure
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — to get on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. foot — part of the body

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