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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: bark · rule · can · capital · chest · calf · lash · object

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — money
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — to protest
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — government
  24. chest — of your body

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