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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 · spring · object · spell · season · stem · jam · wax

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — a thing
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — to come from
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spell — magic
  9. spring — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. racket — for tennis

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