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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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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: trunk · fall · foot · rest · track · bear · bark · face

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. track — a song
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rest — a break
  21. bear — the animal
  22. track — a path
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fall — the season

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