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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.

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: calf · bark · cold · key · lie · wake · ball · plane

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — for a lock
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. key — the most important part
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ball — a great time
  13. key — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bark — to shout
  24. plane — a tool

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