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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: suit · bark · racket · lean · last · fork · hide · court

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — of a king
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — final
  13. court — of law
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — for sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — thin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — finally

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