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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 120 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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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: racket · cap · band · bark · shower · trunk · net · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a ring
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — after costs
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cap — of ice
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — for catching
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cap — a hat
  23. shower — rain
  24. bark — of a tree

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