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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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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: calf · bark · net · band · fall · trunk · face · clip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to confront
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. band — a ring
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bark — to shout
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — the season
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — for catching
  24. clip — a video

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