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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.

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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: spring · rest · vault · pass · racket · season · jam · wound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — the season
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — of the year
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wound — an injury
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rest — a break
  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