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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 · fan · trunk · track · racket · game · date · squash

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. track — a path
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. track — a song
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bark — to shout
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a match
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. game — wild animals

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