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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · lean · wake · calf · spring · face

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spring — the season
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend

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