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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: last · saw · calf · pound · trunk · land · scale · wind

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. saw — the tool
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — a country
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. last — finally
  19. land — to come down
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — in music
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. saw — the tool

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