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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 · stem · craft · rush · calf · face · season · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stem — to come from
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a skill
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. craft — boats
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stem — of a plant

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