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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: bark · coach · racket · track · temple · mouse · fan · hand

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. track — a path
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — help
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bark — to shout

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