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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 · saw · kick · wound · trunk · lash · calf · face

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. face — to point toward
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bark — to shout

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