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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. ball — a great time
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — a division
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — to shout

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