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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: racket · net · calf · pitch · band · spring · lean · bark

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitch — completely
  24. band — a rubber band

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