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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: fork · deal · bass · bark · file · stand · chest · calf

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a tool
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — low music
  14. stand — to bear
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bass — the fish

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