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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · mine · bark · present · racket · spring · leaves · plane

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. present — the time now
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mine — for digging
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. present — a gift
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. present — there
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. leaves — lets stay

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