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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 116 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 · stand · ball · racket · bark · content · fan · spring

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — happy
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. object — to protest
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. object — a thing
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. racket — for tennis

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