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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lean — thin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bark — to shout
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lean — to rest against

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