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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: row · wound · shower · bark · snap · calf · fine · trunk

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. shower — rain
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to click
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bark — of a tree

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