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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bass — low music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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