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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: chest · firm · trunk · drill · bulb · calf · saw · mine

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. drill — army training
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — steady
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chest — a box
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chest — of your 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