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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: spring · pop · mine · racket · hide · deal · object · net

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. object — to protest
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. object — a thing
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — in sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. net — for catching
  24. spring — the season

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