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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 120 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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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: racket · bark · fine · mine · spring · track · race · kick

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spring — of water
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. race — humankind
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — a contest
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. race — the arms race

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