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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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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: mouse · wave · face · kick · trunk · cold · bat · calf

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cold — an illness
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. face — to confront
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bat — the animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mouse — for a computer

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