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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: saw · track · temple · trunk · craft · calf · kick · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. craft — boats
  3. kick — in football
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. craft — a skill
  10. last — final
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. track — to keep track
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — a song
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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