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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: calf · mine · root · can · trunk · object · mate · bound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. object — a thing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. object — an aim
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — obliged
  8. root — the cause
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — for digging
  12. can — a tin
  13. object — to protest
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. root — of a word
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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