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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 116 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: cue · straw · racket · bark · ruler · hide · field · wound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. field — farmland
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — a signal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — for sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — a subject
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — for measuring

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