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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 120 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: racket · ball · temple · pop · root · bark · bat · bound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ball — a great time
  7. root — the cause
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a word
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pop — to visit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pop — soda

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