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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: calf · branch · mate · trunk · bark · tube · face · season

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tube — a container
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — of the year
  7. bark — to shout
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mate — a friend
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. face — part of the head
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. face — to confront
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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