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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stem — to come from
  6. track — to keep track
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — to grow
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. racket — a loud noise

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