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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: lean · drill · calf · mate · key · trunk · land · staff

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — a country
  17. mate — to breed
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. key — the most important part
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. key — in music
  24. staff — a stick

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