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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 116 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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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: racket · straw · track · branch · bark · rash · can · spring

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. rash — hasty
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. branch — a division
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a path

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