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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 · cell · land · rush · prune · leaves · scale · bowl

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — to come down
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. land — ground
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — a country
  24. prune — to trim

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