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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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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 · wind · lie · kick · wound · bark · calf · suit

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. suit — clothes
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. suit — to fit
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. kick — in football

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