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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: land · trunk · file · mouse · ball · cabinet · bat · calf

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. land — to come down
  6. file — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — a country
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. file — a line of people
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mouse — the 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