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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: racket · last · mug · tube · spring · pass · rest · shower

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. last — finally
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rest — a break
  6. shower — rain
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — final
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. rest — what's left

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