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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — a position
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. chest — a box
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chest — of your body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — the earth

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