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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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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: fall · mark · ball · cell · racket · perch · spell · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spell — letters
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spell — magic
  5. ball — a great time
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fall — the season

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