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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 116 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: wound · pop · bear · trunk · last · calf · craft · race

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — the arms race
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. race — humankind
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pop — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — to go on
  19. race — a contest
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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