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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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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: mark · net · cell · snap · spring · rest · wake · racket

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. net — after costs
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spring — the season
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mark — a trace
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — of water

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