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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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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: trunk · bass · nail · ball · cabinet · straw · calf · row

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ball — a great time
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a line
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bass — the fish
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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