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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: season · trunk · racket · roll · chip · spring · key · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — of the year
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spring — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. roll — a list
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — to recline
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — of water
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — for betting
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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