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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · wake · bark · pop · mine · racket · spring · can

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. can — to be able to
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. pop — music
  24. object — to protest

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