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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: stem · mouse · racket · shower · file · coach · bark · plane

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. shower — rain
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. shower — to wash
  24. coach — a trainer

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