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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: land · mark · last · charge · squash · calf · trunk · bass

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. land — a country
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. bass — low music
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bass — the fish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — to come down
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — ground
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. last — final
  16. charge — in control
  17. last — finally
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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