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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · bark · plane · clip · calf · face · bat · fork

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — to shout
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bound — tied together
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — the animal

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