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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: stem · bowl · rest · pitcher · spell · mark · racket · dip

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — a break
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stem — of a plant

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