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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: march · face · kick · bark · bound · branch · bore · trunk

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. face — to confront
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. march — music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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