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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 116 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: pop · trunk · spell · calf · mouse · last · patient · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — finally
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — final
  8. spell — letters
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — magic
  18. pop — soda
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — music

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