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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. branch — a division
  21. spring — the season
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — a coil

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