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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
468
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: plane · spring · calf · wind · swing · pop · bat · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spring — a coil
  3. swing — in golf
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — of water
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. spring — the season
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pop — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pop — soda
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. swing — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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