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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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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: scale · land · stick · shower · mug · trunk · calf · ball

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a great time
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — in music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — to come down
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a dance
  16. scale — size or range
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mug — a face
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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