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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.

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: racket · spell · rest · mark · spring · net · foot · leaves

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a trace
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — in sport
  13. spell — magic
  14. net — for catching
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — after costs
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spring — of water
  22. mark — a grade
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — 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