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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rock — a stone
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. staff — a stick
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bark — of a tree

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