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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 · mouse · mate · jam · wax · net · cell · spring

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mate — a friend
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — of water
  15. net — after costs
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — a partner
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cell — in biology

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