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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. board — a committee
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — a video
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — to shout
  17. board — to get on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — a supporter

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