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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 116 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: racket · trunk · bass · calf · prune · mate · cold · staff

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mate — a partner
  8. staff — employees
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cold — not warm
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cold — the Cold War

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