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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · leaves · swing · wax · file · mark · bark · bat

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. file — a tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mark — a grade
  23. file — a line of people
  24. swing — music

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