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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — in sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a music group
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. tube — a container
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of a king

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