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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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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: stick · kid · bark · wound · toast · lean · racket · squash

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. squash — the sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kid — child
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. toast — bread
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — thin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — for tennis

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