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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 116 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: land · bat · calf · chair · leaves · bark · mug · rock

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bark — to shout
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. land — to come down
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. mug — a face
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. land — a country
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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