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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pit — in a race
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pit — a hole
  24. calf — of the leg

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