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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: staff · land · ground · trunk · can · calf · wind · plane

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. staff — employees
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — to be able to
  14. land — ground
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. land — to come down
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. plane — a tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. staff — employees
  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