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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: leaves · bark · game · straw · bat · swing · cap · ruler

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. cap — of ice
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. swing — in golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cap — a hat

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