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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: ground · bark · band · wound · calf · pass · face · spring

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ground — a position
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — crushed
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — of water
  24. wound — an injury

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