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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: calf · chest · date · roll · trunk · swing · wake · toast

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. swing — music
  4. roll — a list
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. date — the fruit
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chest — a box
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — bread
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. calf — of the leg
  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