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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: cue · ball · bark · tear · staff · bat · cabinet · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bark — to shout
  3. staff — employees
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cue — for pool
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cue — a signal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a song
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bark — of a tree

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