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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. can — a tin
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. hand — help
  13. can — to be able to
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — a path
  18. can — a tin
  19. hand — in cards
  20. vault — a safe
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. calf — of the leg
  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