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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: mug · row · cap · spell · last · content · trunk · calf

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — to go on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mug — a cup
  9. last — finally
  10. cap — a hat
  11. row — a line
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. spell — magic
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. row — to paddle
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — to rob
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cap — a lid
  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