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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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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: straw · calf · tube · mug · trunk · land · ground · firm

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — to rob
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. firm — a company
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ground — crushed
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — the earth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. firm — decided
  15. tube — a container
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. firm — steady
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — of the leg

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