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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 124 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: face · chip · calf · cell · trunk · last · bound · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. face — part of the head
  4. last — final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. face — to confront
  10. last — to go on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — a phone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bound — obliged
  24. trunk — of a car

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