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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — of water
  3. band — a music group
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. drill — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — a practice
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a ring
  17. bore — to tire
  18. drill — army training
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bore — to drill
  24. plane — a tool

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