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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: bark · dip · lie · sharp · track · hand · stem · calf

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. track — a path
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hand — in cards
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — to recline
  12. track — to keep track
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — a song
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — help
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — clever

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