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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: patient · trunk · content · lash · ball · row · calf · chest

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chest — of your body
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. content — the amount
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. content — happy
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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