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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: fall · ground · pass · field · spell · racket · fine · spring

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ground — a position
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. spell — magic
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. field — farmland
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fine — all right
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fall — to drop

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