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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: spell · mate · stand · chest · net · prune · wind · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chest — of your body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — to bear
  15. net — after costs
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — a short time
  18. net — for catching
  19. prune — to trim
  20. net — in sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spell — magic
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — letters

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