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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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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: hand · last · pass · trunk · march · firm · sharp · calf

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — steady
  8. last — finally
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. firm — decided
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — music
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — the month
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. hand — in cards
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. firm — a company
  23. pass — a permit
  24. last — final

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