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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: cell · jam · lie · root · bark · bowl · hand · racket

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lie — to recline
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bark — to shout
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. root — the cause
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — help

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