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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: racket · trunk · press · mate · last · spring · deal · mine

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — for digging
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. last — final
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — to go on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spring — of water
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spring — a coil
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — a friend
  22. press — newspapers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — a big deal

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