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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.

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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: ball · shower · racket · rock · bark · foot · bay · prune

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rock — music
  15. shower — rain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ball — a round shape

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