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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: racket · bark · fan · tear · bear · saw · mouse · chest

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. saw — the tool

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