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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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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 · temple · march · stick · chest · can · calf · rock

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — to shout
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rock — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rock — a stone
  18. march — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. can — a tin

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