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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.

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: bark · racket · shower · bank · key · foot · court · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. foot — a measure
  3. key — for a lock
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bank — for money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bank — for money
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. court — of law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. shower — rain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. bark — to shout
  19. key — in music
  20. court — for sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. shower — to wash
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bank — of a river

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