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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · rest · wind · stick · net · date · racket · spring

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — to drill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. net — for catching
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rest — a break
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. spring — the season
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. net — in sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — gave birth

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