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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: hide · capital · trunk · pound · lean · snap · fork · calf

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a city
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. lean — thin
  12. fork — in a road
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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