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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: stand · racket · band · track · spring · bowl · snap · present

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stand — to bear
  4. snap — to click
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. track — a path
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. present — there
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a song
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spring — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a ring
  19. present — the time now
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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