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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: rash · coach · racket · bark · tube · bat · stem · face

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — to shout
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rash — a series
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stem — to come from

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