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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: mine · bore · racket · tube · bank · court · spring · bark

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bank — for money
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bank — of a river
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. court — of a king
  20. spring — of water
  21. court — of law
  22. tube — a container
  23. spring — a coil
  24. tube — in a tire

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