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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: last · bark · field · trunk · deal · tube · calf · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — the underground
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — finally
  7. field — for sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. field — farmland
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — a container
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. deal — to handle

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