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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: face · straw · branch · bark · band · sharp · kick · object

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. band — a ring
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kick — in football
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — to protest
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — part of the head
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. object — an aim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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