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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. craft — boats
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bear — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. field — farmland
  23. toast — bread
  24. wax — to grow

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