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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: bark · lean · wake · calf · spring · face · pitch · patient

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. face — to point toward
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spring — a coil
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — a trail

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