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

Word bank: fork · fall · lean · track · bat · tear · bark · calf

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — the season
  3. lean — to bend
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. bark — to shout
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — the animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — a garden tool

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