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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 · bank · wind · bark · prune · shower · ball · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. shower — rain
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ball — a round shape

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