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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: swing · content · key · trunk · pound · perch · wave · calf

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. swing — music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. key — in music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. swing — in golf
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pound — a weight
  18. key — for a lock
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. swing — to play on
  23. content — the amount
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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