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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bulb — for light
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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