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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: trunk · mine · sharp · foot · race · dip · roll · calf

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. dip — to sink
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. sharp — clever
  17. race — humankind
  18. roll — a cake
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. roll — a list

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