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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · face · bark · can · pop · trunk · stick · rule

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. rule — government
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — soda
  11. rule — a law
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pop — music

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