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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 120 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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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: pitch · spring · fan · root · racket · bound · tear · rest

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — of water
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — the cause
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — of a word
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spring — the season
  18. rest — a break
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — from crying
  22. root — of a plant
  23. tear — to rip
  24. racket — for tennis

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