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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: leaves · mark · prune · net · racket · cell · saw · chair

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — a phone
  11. net — for catching
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — in biology
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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