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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: trunk · fall · snap · band · bore · lie · hide · calf

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fall — to drop
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. band — a ring
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to click
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fall — the season

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