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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: face · lie · scale · mark · bark · march · calf · coach

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bark — to shout
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a trace
  19. march — music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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