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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: bound · mate · season · prune · rash · racket · board · spell

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — to breed
  3. season — of the year
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. spell — magic
  12. board — to get on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a partner
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — obliged
  18. board — a committee
  19. rash — a series
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — in sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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