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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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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: straw · net · bark · wind · mate · track · charge · racket

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. track — a path
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bark — to shout
  10. charge — a price
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a partner
  14. charge — electricity
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mate — a friend
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — in control
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. track — to keep track

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