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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 120 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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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: chest · trunk · bound · pound · club · row · cue · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bound — certain
  9. chest — a box
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cue — a hint
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pound — a weight

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