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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · chip · field · calf · perch · land · straw · trunk

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bound — certain
  24. chip — to eat

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