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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 116 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: pop · calf · squash · bark · branch · field · safe · face

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — a division
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pop — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. face — to confront
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pop — to visit
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. squash — to crush
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. field — a subject
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — part of the head
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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