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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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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 · fork · tear · toast · board · wind · calf · temple

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bark — to shout
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — to get on
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — in a road
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tear — to rip
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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