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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 120 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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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: arm · calf · march · press · kick · stick · wound · bark

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. march — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — the month
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kick — in football
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. press — a publisher

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