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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: bark · prune · coach · racket · bear · cell · bat · bowl

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bowl — a football final

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