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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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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: cell · drill · trunk · calf · tear · wave · hand · fork

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — help
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. trunk — of a car

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