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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 120 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: cue · wound · trunk · chest · calf · shower · racket · scale

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — rain
  18. scale — in music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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