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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: arm · cue · calf · cold · wound · roll · chair · trunk

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cue — a hint
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cue — for pool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. roll — a list
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. roll — a cake
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. calf — a young 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