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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: jam · branch · bat · mine · bear · mark · tear · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tear — to rip
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. branch — a division
  24. mark — a trace

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