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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: bark · land · cue · coach · arm · jam · bound · racket

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bound — tied together
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bound — certain
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bound — obliged
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a signal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — ground

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