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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: leaves · calf · trunk · bark · game · tube · scale · pound

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tube — the underground
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — to shout
  23. game — a match
  24. calf — of the leg

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