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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: last · chair · ball · bass · spell · calf · trunk · field

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bass — the fish
  6. field — a subject
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. last — finally
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. last — final
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — magic
  24. ball — a great time

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