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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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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: kid · straw · bark · bulb · bowl · ball · wound · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — child
  8. bulb — for light
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kid — to tease
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ball — a dance

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