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

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. lie — an untruth

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