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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: racket · spring · lean · mark · can · spell · branch · chest

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. can — to be able to
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mark — a trace
  7. chest — a box
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spell — letters
  19. can — a tin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — magic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mark — a grade

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