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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: racket · mate · spell · bank · degree · net · nail · roll

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — to breed
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — a partner
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bank — of a river
  9. roll — a cake
  10. net — for catching
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. roll — a list
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — magic
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spell — letters
  20. net — after costs
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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