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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: rule · trunk · bark · stick · row · face · staff · foot

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. face — part of the head
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. row — a line
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rule — government
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rule — a law
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to point toward
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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