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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. firm — decided
  10. bank — of a river
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. firm — steady
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. firm — a company

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