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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — for catching
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bank — for money
  12. hand — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — after costs
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — a loud noise

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