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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: ground · net · racket · bass · dip · jam · mine · bark

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. net — after costs
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ground — crushed
  18. net — in sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — low music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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