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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · temple · content · march · spring · calf · kick · trunk

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. object — an aim
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — a thing
  14. kick — in football
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. kick — with a leg

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