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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wake · fan · rule · calf · chair · key · band

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chair — a leader
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rule — government
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. fan — to cool the air

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