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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — the season
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bore — to drill
  7. staff — employees
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — to come from
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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