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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 · kick · pop · trunk · fan · coach · staff · field

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — in football
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pop — soda
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fan — a supporter

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