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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: trunk · racket · leaves · chest · hide · bark · rock · cue

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — a box
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cue — a hint
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hide — animal skin

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