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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: fork · pound · bark · calf · spring · face · branch · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. face — to confront
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chest — of your body
  19. branch — a division
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. spring — a coil
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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