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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: calf · hand · trunk · row · bark · jam · chair · wake

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. hand — in cards
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. chair — a leader
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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