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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — to go on
  6. can — a tin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — a trail
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. shower — to wash
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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