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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: date · spell · stem · racket · bore · spring · kick · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — magic
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — after costs
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — of water
  19. net — for catching
  20. spell — letters
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — in football
  24. spring — the season

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