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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: game · bark · mine · bore · racket · suit · spring · current

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. current — happening now
  4. spring — the season
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — electric
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bark — to shout
  15. suit — clothes
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. suit — to fit
  21. current — of water
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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