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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.

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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: kick · bear · racket · prune · snap · bark · spring · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — the amount
  14. kick — in football
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. snap — to click
  19. bear — the animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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