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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · ball · bark · racket · clip · wake

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — for paper
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. clip — a video
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. clip — to cut

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