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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: craft · can · bark · bat · net · calf · wound · rock

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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 — a dog's sound
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — for catching
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. craft — boats
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. can — to be able to
  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