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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · scale · wound · rest · bore · leaves · prune · season

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — size or range
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rest — a break
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. racket — for tennis

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