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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: cabinet · snap · drill · racket · deal · season · row · bark

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — to paddle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. row — a line
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bark — to shout
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. snap — to click
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. drill — army training
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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