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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: mark · leaves · track · bear · spell · rash · racket · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — hasty
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — a path
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rash — a series
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spell — letters
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — magic
  24. track — a song

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