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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: chair · present · lean · scale · bark · track · net · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. present — a gift
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. net — for catching
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chair — a leader
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — the time now
  21. lean — to bend
  22. net — after costs
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. track — a path

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