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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: cabinet · toast · bark · hand · tear · jam · chair · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. hand — in cards
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. hand — help
  6. chair — a leader
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tear — to rip
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. toast — bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — from crying

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