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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: pop · racket · bank · kid · file · spring · pit · bear

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — to tease
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. file — a document
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — of water
  22. kid — child
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pop — to visit

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