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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: land · season · face · calf · rash · trunk · stock · bark

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. face — to confront
  4. rash — a series
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. land — to come down
  10. season — of the year
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. land — a country
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rash — hasty

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