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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · lie · bark · hide · mate · spring · band · track

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — a path
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. track — a song
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spring — a coil

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